The Blind Date
by YanksLuver
Summary: Sydney and Vaughn find themselves on a blind date.


Title: The Blind Date  
  
Author: Steph (ILUVNYYANK@aol.com)  
  
Category: Romance/Drama  
  
Pairings: Sydney/Vaughn  
  
Summary: Sydney and Vaughn find themselves on a blind date.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Archive: Sure, just let me know where.  
  
Spoilers: Little bit of "The Confession" and minor aspects of other episodes. None of them are integral to the plot.  
  
Disclaimer:  Alias and its characters do not belong to me.  I do this out of a love for the show and no infringement is intended.  
  
Note #1: Yes, I realize that this scenario would probably never happen on the show because the risk would be too great, but let's pretend that's not true. Humor me :)  
  
Note #2: This story is not related to my first, "Natural Woman".  
  
* * * The Blind Date 1/1* * *  
  
  
  
"Hey," Francie greeted Sydney as she came through the front door carrying two bags of groceries.  
  
Sydney looked up from the book she was reading on the couch and smiled at her best friend, "Hey. Need some help?"  
  
"Sure," Francie replied, as Sydney closed her book and got up from the couch.  
  
She walked into the kitchen and they both began to empty the bags.  
  
It didn't take long for Francie to break the silence they had been working in.  
  
"So I met this great guy at the supermarket."  
  
Sydney turned to her and arched her brow in surprise, "Have you forgotten you're engaged, Francie?"  
  
"Not for me, for you."  
  
"Me?" Sydney asked, as if the mere thought was impossible.  
  
"Yes, you."  
  
"You met a guy at the supermarket-..."  
  
"...who I think is perfect for you," Francie finished for her.  
  
Sydney shook her head with a laugh. "The supermarket, Francie? That's such a 'perfect place to meet people' cliche."  
  
"Well, sometimes cliches have their merit." She paused and added, "He seemed really great, Syd."  
  
"How could you possibly tell that from a man you just met and talked to for two minutes in the supermarket?"  
  
"You can tell a lot from what's in a man's carriage."  
  
Sydney laughed. "Oh, I've got to hear this."  
  
Francie smiled as she began, "What a man buys can tell you a lot about him. This guy had lots of fruits and vegetables in his carriage, which means he's health conscious. And you're health conscious."  
  
Sydney nodded with a well-hidden smile as she placed a carton of eggs in the refrigerator.  
  
"He had a tube of toothpaste and a box of Q-tips, which means he's interested in good hygiene. You're interested in good hygiene."  
  
Sydney chuckled, "Oh, well, he bought toothpaste and Q-tips. That changes everything. Why didn't you just say so? Take me to him."  
  
Francie laughed and rewarded her friend with a goodhearted swat on the arm.  
  
Francie continued, "And, as if that weren't enough, he had a Get Well card for his aunt in his carriage, which clearly shows that he is a kind, caring, compassionate man."  
  
Sydney shook her head, as another laugh followed out of her mouth. "Oh, Francie, you are too much."  
  
"Did I mention he's cute? I'm talking knee-weakening smile, sparkling eyes, and a faced carved from stone."  
  
That got Sydney's attention...It reminded her of someone. But she quickly pushed that thought aside. "Francie-..."  
  
"Come on, Syd, this thing tonight could be good for you."  
  
"You want me to go out with him tonight?" she asked, eyes widening.  
  
"We're supposed to meet him in half an hour."  
  
"We?"  
  
"Yes, we. I figured you'd be uncomfortable going on a blind date with a guy I just met, so Charlie and I are going to make it a double date."  
  
"Make that one couple and a third wheel because I'm not going."  
  
"Syd!"  
  
"I don't even know this man. You don't even know this man. He could be ax murderer for all you know."  
  
Francie smiled, "Well, I forgot to ask, but he seemed too darn cute to be an ax murderer."  
  
That got a smile out of Sydney. "You know what I mean."  
  
"Do you have something better planned for tonight?"  
  
Sydney smiled, "As a matter of fact I do. I have a date with my favorite pajamas, the couch, popcorn, ice cream and Nick at Nite."  
  
"You mean you're just going to stay home on a Friday night and pig out?"  
  
"I'm going to spend a relaxing, peaceful night at home, yes."  
  
"Your life is seriously starting to get boring, Syd. Your whole life is working at the bank and going on business trips."  
  
Syd smiled to herself and shook her head. "Francie, my life is anything but boring. I just want a relaxing night, I'm tired."  
  
"So you're passing up a night with a cute guy to watch Nick at Nite and eat junk food?"  
  
"No, I am spending the night with a cute guy. His name is Dick Van Dyke."  
  
Francie shook her head with a laugh, "Marathon?"  
  
Sydney smiled, "Marathon."  
  
A rare uncomfortable silence ensued between them before Francie broke it, "Syd, this isn't because of Danny, is it?"  
  
Sydney lowered her head, "It's not because of Danny, Francie."  
  
"Because he'd want you to be happy, you know. That's all he ever wanted for you."  
  
Sydney nodded and replied softly, "I know."  
  
"Then why don't you come with us tonight? No big deal, just a fun night with friends."  
  
"And a complete stranger," Sydney added, as she met her eyes.  
  
Francie smiled, "You never know, you might just end up liking him."  
  
Sydney sighed and shook her head in defeat. "Fine, I'll go." She then added with a wide smile, as she wagged her index finger at Francie, "But you owe me one lazy night of pigging out."  
  
"Deal," Francie said, as she hugged her friend. When they had parted, she gave her a gentle push. "Now go get ready! We don't want to keep the boys waiting!"  
  
Sydney nodded and headed down the hall. She stopped and turned around before she reached her bedroom. "Oh, where are we going? I need to know how to dress."  
  
Francie let out a disgruntled sigh, "Dress casual, comfortable. I wanted to go to that new club on Simpson, but Charlie talked me into that new indoor arcade/gaming/amusement park place on Lyme."  
  
Sydney smiled. Her friend wasn't one for those kinds of places. Sydney, however, loved them.  
  
"Men," she said to Francie with a shrug of her shoulders and a chuckle.  
  
* * *  
  
Sydney, Francie, and Charlie were engaged in a conversation as they walked towards the building. Charlie was telling this hilarious story about how he accidentally knocked his grandmother unconscious with a SkeeBall at a place like this when he was eleven. They were so engrossed in their conversation that Sydney didn't even notice when Francie abruptly stopped in front of a man with his back turned to them.  
  
Francie tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around at the same time Sydney did. Their eyes met and anyone who was paying attention would have seen the flash of recognition in their eyes. Theirs mouths involuntarily fell open as they absorbed their predicament, but they quickly closed them in order to cover.  
  
Francie smiled at Vaughn and said, "This is the friend I was telling you about...Sydney Bristow." She paused and turned to her friend, "Sydney, this is Michael Vaughn."  
  
They both extended their hands and tried to hide their smiles. "Nice to meet you," they said at the same time.  
  
For a moment, Sydney thought Francie noticed something about how they greeted each other because she gave them a strange look, but it passed without her saying anything.  
  
Sydney was so shocked by the situation that she didn't even notice Francie slip away and head inside with Charlie.  
  
When they both knew that Francie and Charlie couldn't see or hear them, they gave into the smiles they had fought so hard to control.  
  
"This is quite a coincidence," Vaughn said, somewhat uncomfortably.  
  
"I had no idea that you were the guy Francie was talking about or I never would have come. She never mentioned your name."  
  
"And she never mentioned yours either. I guess I should have remembered that you have a friend name Francie. It's not the most common name in the world."  
  
Sydney shook her head, "I just can't believe this. What are the chances?"  
  
"One in a million probably."  
  
Sydney grew quiet as she thought about them being seen together in public. "Is this okay? I mean, are we endanger of having SD-6 find out?"  
  
Vaughn shrugged, "Well, this certainly isn't recommended. But we really can't do anything about it now. It would seem rude to your friends for either one of us to leave."  
  
Sydney thought she noticed something unspoken in the words he said. He seemed to be searching for a reason for them to stay. She knew that it was against his better judgment. Why would he endanger all they had worked so hard for for one night?  
  
"Are you sure? Maybe I should just tell Francie I'm sick."  
  
"No," he said a little bit too quickly. "I mean, it'll be fine. SD- 6 doesn't trail you all of the time and I'm willing to bet no one wants to be following someone else around on a Friday night."  
  
"But that doesn't mean someone isn't."  
  
"Did you notice anyone following you?"  
  
Sydney smiled, wondering how he knew of the habit she had developed of watching to see if she was being trailed even when she was going to do a simple "normal person" activity, like meet friends at a restaurant. As far as she was concerned, she really only cared about being trailed when she was meeting Vaughn. It didn't matter when she was doing something as innocent as dropping her clothes off at the cleaners. But some habits are hard to break.  
  
"No, I didn't notice anyone," she said with a shake of her head.  
  
"Good," he replied with a small smile. "Then why don't we try to have a little fun for a change and forget about work."  
  
Vaughn hoped that he was doing a good job of concealing the fact that he was incredibly happy to be able to spend some time with Sydney Bristow outside of work.  
  
Sydney shrugged and offered him a smile, "I'll try if you will."  
  
He nodded and they both entered the building.  
  
* * *  
  
The building was huge and housed a variety of different activities. There were batting cages, SkeeBall, bumper cars, a small roller coaster, numerous virtual reality rides, a miniature golf course, a rock climbing wall, and more arcade games than Sydney could count. There was also a fake boardwalk with carnival booth games.  
  
She was surprised to see the span of ages the place seemed to appeal to. She expected to find it crawling with mostly parents and young kids and teenagers. While they made up a good portion of the customers, there were just as many, if not more, people in their twenties and thirties there. There were even a few grandparent-age couples without grandchildren.  
  
Vaughn turned to her, "So what do you want to try first?"  
  
"Well, I happen to be a champion SkeeBaller," Sydney said boastfully.  
  
Vaughn laughed, "Well, I don't like to brag, but all I did in college is play SkeeBall and Donkey Kong. I gained quite a reputation."  
  
Sydney smiled, "You mean to tell me that I studied my butt off in college while also kicking butt for SD-6, while you hung around an arcade all day?"  
  
"Okay, so I may have exaggerated a bit."  
  
Vaughn flashed her a smile and Sydney tried her best not to let him see how his smiles affected her. Her heart would skip a beat every time she saw those pearly whites of his.  
  
Sydney swallowed hard and followed Vaughn to the SkeeBall area. He popped a quarter into the slot and was just about to put one in Sydney's when she swatted his hand away good-naturedly.  
  
"I've got it, thank you very much."  
  
That devastating smile of his appeared again. "I forgot how chivalry doesn't go over well with women in your field."  
  
Sydney smiled and leaned closer to him. She whispered, "That's not always the case."  
  
Vaughn raised his eyebrows and then gave her a little nod, as he watched her pop a quarter in the slot.  
  
Their balls slid down and they began to play. They kept tabs on each others scores and Vaughn was not pleased to see that Sydney was beating him quite convincingly.  
  
Their games ended and Sydney turned to him with a wide smile. "I won."  
  
"I see that."  
  
"You do know that the object of the game is to get the highest score possible."  
  
"I understand the object of the game."  
  
"Well, it was a little hard to tell with all of those balls not even reaching any of the holes with points," Sydney said with a smile.  
  
Vaughn fought his urge to grin at her taunts. "I'm just a little rusty, that's all."  
  
"Why don't we try something else?"  
  
"I am more than capable of beating you at SkeeBall, Sydney."  
  
"I know."  
  
"I mean, one more game and I'd-..."  
  
Sydney grinned, "Why, Agent Vaughn, if I didn't know any better I'd think that you're threatened by a woman."  
  
He stuttered, his brow furrowing, "I...I'm not threatened, I just- ..."  
  
The smile spread to the corners of her lips as she cut him off, "It's nothing to be ashamed of. You should see the looks I get from the guys I go up against right before they realize that a 'girl' is about to kick their butt."  
  
Vaughn's brow creased, as she turned on her heel and headed for the batting cage. He smiled and shook his head as he followed behind her.  
  
"I played on the baseball All-Star team for ten straight years as a kid," she told him, as she inspected the helmets.  
  
"You mean the girl's softball All-Star team."  
  
She turned to him with a smile, "Nope, it was the boys' baseball team. I was the only girl."  
  
He shook his head at her, "You know, I'm already quite aware that you're not the average female, Sydney. There's no need to try to impress me."  
  
"Uh huh," she said disinterestedly, as she continued to inspect the helmets.  
  
"What exactly are you looking for?"  
  
"I don't know. I just don't trust that these helmets have been properly cleaned. I don't want to get lice or anything."  
  
Vaughn laughed and placed a helmet on his head. "I guess there are some things that are innately unique to women."  
  
She offered him a smirk before placing a helmet on her head. Then they went over to the bat rack and picked out their bats. They waited a few minutes until it was their turn. Sydney went first and Vaughn watched outside the cage.  
  
She was amazing. She crushed every pitch, no matter what speed. He was beginning to wonder if there was anything this girl wasn't good at.  
  
She smiled at him, as she walked out of the cage.  
  
He shook his head in wonderment, "I hope you didn't hurt the bat."  
  
"You're up," she replied simply.  
  
Vaughn embarrassed himself on the first pitch my completely missing it. He grimaced and glanced back at Sydney.  
  
The rest of the session went very well. He hit every pitch and hit them well.  
  
"Not bad," Sydney said to him after he had finished.  
  
"I was a little rusty."  
  
"I thought you looked pretty good out there. Did you play in college?"  
  
Vaughn bent his head, "Yeah, I was on scholarship. I had some teams scouting me in my junior year. But I tore up my knee at the end of my junior year and...the scouts didn't come around my senior year."  
  
Sydney could tell this was a painful subject for him. "I'm sorry. So then you ended up doing this?"  
  
He nodded, as he finally met her eyes, "Yeah, I tried to hide from what I was meant to do for a long time. I didn't want to end up like my father. But then I realized he died doing what he loved for a country he adored. I figured I'd rather live a short, happy life doing what I loved rather than a long, miserable one doing something I hated."  
  
"That was pretty wise of you."  
  
He shrugged and averted his eyes, "Some days I'm not so sure."  
  
Sydney opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it and snapped it closed.  
  
There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence before she cheerily asked, "Want to play the games on the boardwalk?"  
  
"Sure," he replied and followed beside her.  
  
* * * *  
  
Sydney picked a game where you had to shoot a moving target. You got ten chances. More than five hits earned a prize and the value of the prize increased with each hit over five.  
  
Sydney stood admiring the stuffed animals. There was one she had her eye on. It was a huge brown bear with a pink t-shirt. It looked exactly like a bear her father had won her at a carnival when she was five years old. That was one of the few things they had ever done together. She remembered being so proud that her father had won it for her.  
  
Vaughn noticed her admiring the bear. He began hesitantly, "Want me to win it for you?"  
  
Sydney turned to him with a grin, "You know I don't need you to win that for me. I am perfectly capable of winning it for myself."  
  
He nodded his head and smiled, "Yes, I know that. But I'd like to try anyway."  
  
She shrugged, "Be my guest. You need to hit all ten."  
  
Vaughn handed the worker the money and then picked up the gun. He took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself. He really wanted to win this for Sydney. He wasn't even really sure why.  
  
Sydney watched with mounting excitement as he hit nine straight. She held her breath as he aimed and shot the tenth one. He missed and she let out a disappointed sigh.  
  
He turned to her, his face slightly red with embarrassment. "Sorry."  
  
"That's okay," she replied, as he handed her a smaller black bear.  
  
He started to walk away, when he noticed her hand the worker some money. He walked back over to her. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm going to win that bear," she replied as if it were a foregone conclusion.  
  
"You don't like the black one?"  
  
"It's not that. It's just...that one looks like one my Dad won me when I was a kid."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yeah, so I'm going to win it."  
  
He smiled, "You always expect to win, don't you?"  
  
She grinned, "For your sake and mine, you better hope that's true."  
  
He nodded and watched as she prepared to shoot. Ten straight shots later she had won herself that bear. She jumped up and down excitedly as the tenth shot hit the target.  
  
She turned to him with a huge smile and said, "I did it."  
  
Vaughn nodded, as he studied her face. She was even more beautiful, if that was at all possible, when she was happy and excited. Her smile seemed to make her whole face glow and, for a few moments at least, it made the haunted eyes he so often got lost in sparkle.  
  
Sydney took the bear from the worker and then handed it to Vaughn. "Here."  
  
"Oh, I see. You're only an independent woman went you don't have to carry something."  
  
She shook her head and laughed, "No, I mean, I'm giving it to you. I won it for you."  
  
Vaughn raised his right eyebrow in curiosity and Sydney noticed for the first time that this was a habit of his. She found it oddly sexy.  
  
"For me? Why?"  
  
She averted her eyes, "Because I don't want it. I mean, I thought I did. But then I realized that I was just trying to capture the past and a part of my father that doesn't exist anymore.  
  
He began slowly, "Sydney, your father does love-..."  
  
"I know," she said, as she met his eyes. "But that can't change the fact that he was never the father I needed. And a piece of the past can't make it so either."  
  
She didn't wait for him to respond, but simply walked away.  
  
He followed after her and was about to speak when she beat him to it. Her mouth seemed to move a mile a minute, "Are you hungry? I'm starved. I wonder where Francie and Charlie are. So much for the double date thing. She said she wanted to make me feel comfortable. For all she knows, you could be a serial killer and I could be in serious danger right now."  
  
Vaughn realized that she was rambling in order to keep him from continuing their conversation, but didn't press the subject.  
  
"Well, I can assure you I am not a serial killer," he replied weakly.  
  
She didn't hear him because she had spotted a small cafe in the corner and headed towards it. He followed after it, as he struggled with carrying both bears. Sydney walked up to the cash register and began to order, as he joined her.  
  
"Hi, can I have two hot dogs with the works, a large curly fry with cheese, a nacho, one pretzel and a Diet Coke." She paused and then turned to Vaughn, "Anything for you?"  
  
His eyes widened, as he realized she planned on eating all of that by herself. "Is there anything left?"  
  
She smiled, "Very funny. I'm hungry, that's all."  
  
Vaughn nodded, but knew better. He had just discovered something new about Sydney Bristow. She eats junk food, make that a lot of junk food, when she is feeling down. She seeks comfort in food. With all the heartache she had experienced in her lifetime, he wondered how she didn't weigh five hundred pounds by now.  
  
"So, do you want anything?" she asked, throwing him from his thoughts.  
  
"Uh, a cheeseburger and Coke. That's it."  
  
They waited in silence for their food and then found a table when it arrived. They ate quietly and engaged in some small talk. They were nearly finished when a "Syd!" rang out a few yards behind them.  
  
They both turned around to see who was calling her. Vaughn didn't recognize the blonde, handsome man. Sydney smiled and waved at him.  
  
Will approached their table, eyeing Vaughn suspiciously. "Hey, I didn't expect to see you here tonight."  
  
"I wasn't planning on it. Francie roped me into this blind date thing," she said as she gestured to Vaughn.  
  
Vaughn studied him carefully, but it didn't take long for him to decide he didn't like him. There was something in the way he looked at Sydney that Vaughn did not like.  
  
Sydney laughed and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Michael Vaughn, this is my friend Will Tippin. Will, this is Michael Vaughn."  
  
The men shook hands, but there was a tenseness to it that did not go unnoticed by Sydney.  
  
Vaughn sat for a while and watched them talk. He could tell that they were very good friends. Sydney seemed at ease with him, but there was an underlying tension between them that was palpable. Vaughn guessed from the way that Will looked at Sydney that it stemmed from the fact that he wanted her and she hadn't returned his feelings.  
  
The fact that another man wanted Sydney and that she was so at ease with him, made Vaughn's blood boil. He was jealous. He knew it was silly. He knew it was childish. Sydney wasn't his and he had no right to feel this way, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to be the only man like that in Sydney's life.  
  
Vaughn was growing increasingly agitated until he finally spat out, "Hey, Will, how about a game of darts?"  
  
Sydney and Will stopped in mid-conversation and turned to him. Will spoke hesitantly, "Uh, yeah, okay...I guess."  
  
"Great," Vaughn replied, as he flashed Sydney a smile and clapped his hands together.  
  
Vaughn and Will walked over to the dartboard on the opposite wall, as Sydney followed behind them.  
  
Will pulled the darts from the board and went first. He was somewhat of an expert dart player and nailed the center on his first try. The other attempts weren't as good, but still hard to beat.  
  
He smiled cockily at Vaughn as he pulled the darts from the board and handed it to him. "Beat that, buddy."  
  
Vaughn gave him an ire-filled glare before throwing his first dart. He hit an outer ring. The rest of his darts followed suit. Sydney grimaced, as she noticed Vaughn's face turn a shade of pink.  
  
Will smiled and raised his arms triumphantly. "Yes, I won! You might want to practice before you challenge someone again." Will shook his head and then said jokingly to Sydney, "What are you doing with this guy, Syd?"  
  
At that comment, Vaughn snapped. And he wasn't even sure why.  
  
Maybe it was his strong, unresolved feelings for Sydney that caused it.  
  
Maybe it was because he knew any action on his part would complicate matters beyond belief.  
  
Maybe it was because the thought of Sydney with any guy but him literally made him sick to his stomach.  
  
Maybe it was a combination of all three that caused him to snap, but, whatever the reason, it was something he couldn't control.  
  
Vaughn shoved Will and he nearly fell into a table.  
  
Sydney's eyes widened in horror and shock. "Stop!" she yelled.  
  
Will regained his balance and then charged at Vaughn, tackling him and causing them both to fall to the floor.  
  
They wrestled for a bit, but the fight was short-lived because Sydney stepped in and managed to pry them apart.  
  
"Get up!" she ordered them.  
  
They both stood up, as they patted at their disheveled clothing. Will seemed relatively untouched, but Vaughn had a cut on his lip that was bleeding slightly.  
  
"Will," she said, "Could you please leave?"  
  
He looked visibly hurt, "Sydney, I didn't-..."  
  
"Just go, please. I'll call you tomorrow."  
  
Will shrugged, shook his head and walked away.  
  
Sydney then turned to Vaughn and looked at him sternly.  
  
"You cut your lip."  
  
"Sydney, I'm sorry. I don't know what-..."  
  
He was interrupted by the manager approaching them. "Sir, I'm afraid I am going to have to ask you to vacate the premises. We do not tolerate that type of behavior here."  
  
Vaughn fleetingly considered protesting, but decided he didn't have the energy. He followed Sydney, who had managed to grab some ice and some napkins before they left, outside.  
  
"Sydney, I'm-..."  
  
"Sit," she ordered him tersely and pointed to the bench next to them.  
  
He sat down and she took her place beside him.  
  
He began again, "Sydn-..."  
  
"Stop talking," she said, as she lifted the ice up to his lip to control the bleeding. "It's not too bad. Just hold that there until the bleeding stops."  
  
They sat in silence for a few tense moments until she broke it, "What were you thinking exactly?"  
  
"I was trying to tell you before but you wouldn't let me talk."  
  
"I mean, were you trying to act like a colossal jerk, because, if so, you succeeded."  
  
"I didn't-..."  
  
"Who does that? Who shoves some guy he just met for no reason at all?"  
  
Vaughn sighed, as he grew tired of her interruptions. "Do you actually want me to answer your questions or are you just speaking for the sake of speaking?"  
  
"I would like to hear an explanation for your incredibly stupid behavior, yes."  
  
"Then stop talking and listen to me," he replied.  
  
That caused her to snap her mouth shut. Vaughn opened his mouth to begin and winced at the pain. He quickly disregarded it and removed the ice. The bleeding had nearly stopped.  
  
He looked her in the eye. "I got jealous," he said, embarrassment lacing his words.  
  
Sydney raised her brows in surprise at his admission. "Jealous of Will? Why?"  
  
He sighed, "You're gonna make me say it?"  
  
"If you want me to know the reason then, yes, I'm gonna make you say it."  
  
He lowered his head and said softly, "Because I saw how you smiled at him, I saw how comfortable you were with him. I could tell that you trusted him and could confide in him. I...I guess I kind of had this weird hope that I was the only guy in your life you could do that with."  
  
Sydney's eyes widened in surprise. "So you're jealous that I have a friend who happens to be a guy that I can talk to. That's it?"  
  
"No...I mean, yes...I guess...I don't know," he stammered.  
  
Sydney smiled, realizing that his feelings ran deeper than that. "Look at me," she said.  
  
He slowly lifted his eyes to her and she began softly, "Is Will my friend? Yes. Would he like more? Yes. Do I think we can ever be more? No. And do you want to know why?"  
  
Vaughn nodded, his gaze focused on hers.  
  
She continued, "Because I could never talk to him like I can talk to you. I can't tell him my fears and doubts about what I am doing. I could never tell him about how my father really makes me feel and how what my mother did effects me. There's so much of my life that I could never share with him. After Danny died because I told him about being an agent, I realized that I could never be with someone that I couldn't share every part of my life with. It's wouldn't be fair to him and it wouldn't be fair to me. And even when I put the CIA and SD-6 behind me there will still be things I could never tell that person."  
  
"So what are you saying? You're going to live the rest of your life alone?"  
  
Sydney looked into his eyes and smiled, "I sure hope not."  
  
Vaughn looked slightly confused, "But that would mean you'd have to be with-.."  
  
"...someone like you," she finished.  
  
His brow creased and his expression registered surprise, "Me?"  
  
"Yeah, you," she said with a smile. "Even though you're a jealous, competitive, typical male."  
  
"You think I'm typical?" he asked with a grin.  
  
"No, but I do think you got us banned for life from Gaming L.A. because you weren't exactly thinking like the rational agent I know you to be."  
  
He laughed, but quickly turned serious, "So what does this mean?"  
  
She smiled, "It means that those once a week meetings just aren't gonna cut it anymore." He noticed her leaning in closer to him as she spoke.  
  
"Sydney," he tried to say as seriously as possible. "This is going to change things."  
  
"I know," she whispered, as she moved closer. "We'll take things as they come."  
  
Those were the last words she uttered before her lips met his. She heard him moan softly as her lip came in contact with his cut, which had now stopped bleeding entirely. But his injury didn't prevent him from deepening what began as a slow, soft kiss. He ran his hands through Sydney's hair and pulled her deeper into the kiss. She ran her hands up and down the back of his neck, reveling in the feel of him.  
  
They parted due to a need for air and smiled at each other.  
  
Vaughn studied her and asked softly, "Are you sure?"  
  
She nodded and grinned, "It's either this or watch you take out every guy I come in contact with for the rest of my life."  
  
He laughed and kissed her lips once more.  
  
"You know," she said once they'd parted, "As far as blind dates go, this one wasn't so bad."  
  
Vaughn smiled and nodded, "I guess it depends on the date."  
  
She returned his smile before touching her lips to his again.  
  
He smiled as they parted once more. "Want to hear something funny?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
'"I've never played darts before in my life."  
  
Sydney laughed, as she lay her head on his shoulder and he began to stroke her hair.  
  
And the glow from the moonlight highlighted something on their faces that had been missing for far too long: contentment.  
  
  
  
**********************************************THE END****************************************  
  
Hope you enjoyed it and please let me know what you thought. ~Steph 


End file.
